EU lawmakers back suspension of airline carbon payments

February 26, 2013|Reuters

* Plenary vote expected in April

* Amendments calls for "clear and sufficient progress" atU.N.

* Internal EU flights not exempt from emissions cost

By Barbara Lewis

BRUSSELS, Feb 26 (Reuters) - European Union lawmakers onTuesday backed a Commission plan to suspend for a year a lawthat would make all airlines using EU airports pay for theircarbon emissions, and urged U.S. President Barack Obama toaccelerate a global deal.

International fury at the EU law led Climate CommissionerConnie Hedegaard last year to propose a temporary exemption forintercontinental flights.

The European Parliament's Environment Committee on Tuesdayvoted in favour of her proposal, dubbed "Stop the Clock". Themove needs the endorsement of a full parliamentary session inApril, but has so much support that it is unlikely to beoverturned.

The committee strengthened the wording to underline the factthat the suspension could be prolonged beyond a year only if"clear and sufficient" progress were made at the InternationalCivil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the U.N. body seeking analternative plan to curbing airline emissions.

"There's no excuse any more. Nobody can say now that the EUis obstructing any agreement," said German Christian DemocratPeter Liese.

"I appeal especially to U.S. President Obama, who has beenawarded the Nobel Peace Prize among other things for hiscommitment to tackle climate change, and to Secretary of State(John) Kerry," he added. "They could lose all the credibility ifthey continue opposing a solution in this important area."

Obama's appointment of Kerry, a long-time champion of actionon climate change, raised EU hopes that the United States wouldstep up its environmental ambitions.

WEAK PROPOSAL

So far, campaign groups say Washington's position paperahead of the next ICAO-sponsored talks in March shows it isproposing a measure that would cover only a small part ofairline emissions.

The International Air Transport Association said the EU lawhad been an obstacle to a global deal.

"With that roadblock removed, we are well positioned for abreakthrough on market-based measures," said Tony Tyler, IATA'sdirector general.

But he said "the devil will be in the details" and it wascrucial to have an agreement that preserved "fair competition".

Green campaigners welcomed the vote.

"Now the ball is in ICAO's court and, if it fails, Europehas other options up its sleeve," said Aoife O'Leary, a policyofficer at the campaign group Transport & Environment.

The EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) continues to apply toflights between EU airports, which some airlines maintain is anunfair cost burden, given the intercontinental freeze.

The Commission argues that the cost is in fact minimal -only about 2 euros per passenger per long-haul flight given thecurrent price of carbon permits, which have fallen to a recordlow of less than three euros per tonne.

Exclusion of international flights on a permanent basiscould weaken the market even more.

A report from international energy consultants IHS CERApublished on Monday said the permanent exclusion ofintercontinental flights could deprive the EU ETS of more than500 million tonnes of potential allowance demand to 2020.